President’s Letter

I find myself in a bittersweet position as my term of presidency comes to an end. After all the good work we have done on the Board, it is time to for me to move on. In doing so, I would like thank you all for entrusting your leadership to me over this past year.

It has been a productive and challenging experience – one not possible without a lot of help. I would like to acknowledge my fellow Board members for all the support and work that they have done with me during the past year. They have all been enthusiastic participants who have made valuable contributions. In particular, I would like to thank both Dr. Claudia Harsh and Dr. Kit Lee for the years of service they have given, as they will be stepping down from the Board. Claudia has played a pivotal role in helping us to establish an active and robust Education Committee, which will remain as her legacy.

My thanks, also, to the many committee members who volunteer and quietly get tasks done. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Rick Hobbs and Dr. Anna Kelly for co-chairing the Symposium Committee, Dr. Marshall Sager for being our ICMART representative and legal counsel, Dr. Mike Green for being our CME monitor, Dr. Robert Gross for chairing the ABMA committee and Dr. Richard Niemtzow for serving as editor of the Medical Acupuncture Journal. Your contributions to the AAMA are truly significant and much appreciated.

Our organization relies on the administrative support provided by Jim and Tracey Dowden. Without their guidance, support and insights, my role would not have been an easy one. Thank you, too, to Dr. Joe Helms for coercing me into joining the Board and trusting me with the task of a governance role. I hope that I have lived up to your expectations.

Lastly, thanks to you – all the AAMA members – for making our AAMA be an organization that is active and one that we can be proud of. I look forward to seeing those of you who will be at the April Symposium.

So, with a nostalgic farewell I will be moving on to the position of Past President. I look forward to supporting our incoming President, Dr. Thomas Burgoon, new Board members (Dr. Leslie Smith and Dr. Melanie Gold), and current members (Dr. Anna Kelly, Dr. Jerry Leglue, Dr. Marshall Sager, Dr. Nancy Cotter, Dr. Tom Etges and Dr. Rey Ximenes) in the upcoming year.

With gratitude,

Sandi Amoils MD

News Alert: FDA Hearings on Homeopathic Remedies

The academy was contacted by member Martha Grout, MD alerting us that there are FDA Hearings on Homeopathic Remedies scheduled for April 20, 2015.

These appear to be very early stage hearings to identify the need for regulation of Homeopathic Remedies. She shared her concern that these hearings could result in changes that would affect the ability of physicians to use and prescribe homeopathic remedies. You may see the notice of the hearing at this link.

If you have an interest to learn more, you might contact Dr. Grout who has additional links to further information. Dr. Grout can be contacted at mgrout@ArizonaAdvancedMedicine.com

New Scientific Research

The AAMA website has a section devoted to current scientific research that may be relevant to your medical acupuncture practice. Check back often to read about these and other industry developments, such as the following recently posted topics:

Research Paper Competition Winners Announced

A three-member team reviewed submissions in this year’s Research Paper Competition. Drs. Richard Niemtzow, Anna Kelly and Rick Hobbs selected Dr. Anil Shah’s paper for presentation. Shah will present “Auricular Acupuncture After Adult Tonsillectomy” at the Symposium on Sunday morning, April 26, at 7:45am. Papers for second and third place to be announced at the Symposium. Authors will be acknowledged there.

Physicians Earn Board Certifications

The following physicians recently met the stringent requirements of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture (ABMA) and have achieved Board Certification in medical acupuncture. These doctors have earned the designation DABMA (Diplomate, American Board of Medical Acupuncture): William G. Elliott, MD, of Washington, DC; Kendra Unger, MD, of Morgantown, WV.

The Academy has a list of physicians who are Board Certified posted online (http://www.dabma.org/physicians.asp). Diplomates (DABMA) are listed alphabetically by last name, along with their location and dates of expiration. More details on the Board Certification process are posted here (http://www.dabma.org/).

Physicians Complete 10-year ABMA Recertification Process

The following physicians have completed the process (http://www.dabma.org/recertification.asp) set by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture Board of Trustees to be recertified as a Diplomate for another 10 years: Umar Farooq, MD, FAAMA, of Bensalem, PA; Kelly Hsu, MD, DABMA, of Chandler, AZ; John Kohler, MD, FAAMA, of Bala Cynwyd, PA; Felise Zollman, MD, DABMA, of Chicago, IL.